Scanning the internet and reading magazine articles, I see a lot of writer’s block solutions, but not hardly any who have to many ideas. A few of us feel overwhelmed with what and how to write.
When choosing a poetry form, sometimes I am overwhelmed with what poetry form to use. If I keep pluggin’ along the subject matter determines the form, or as some say, form follows function (which originated with late 19th and early 20th century architecture). Sometimes I write according to form, e.g., my ghazals.
For all of us writers, regardless of what genre we use, too many ideas can stifle output. One idea I found many years ago showed this problem as a problem of organization.
Write all the ideas in a free writing exercise – a list. Use different color highlights to group all the ideas and see if the ideas can become a part of bigger projects. Suit the grouping according to individual preferences: I shuffle different page notes between poems as the need arises. Some ideas may need to be tossed or kept for a later date, but if kept at least they are not clogging creativity.
As far as which one to pick first, go with what gives you joy. Reading poetry is not drudgery, and writing it should not be either.
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